Any discussion of the prior art throughout the specification should in no way be considered as an admission that such prior art is widely known or forms part of common general knowledge in the field.
It is common for retail venues to implement self-checkout systems. Typically, a consumer collects one or more consumer items from within the retail venue, and subsequently interacts with a self-checkout system to settle an account for payment of the items. The system includes an identification device for obtaining identification information from the item or items, such as a barcode scanner or RFID reader. The system also includes a console with which the consumer interfaces. This console provides information to the consumer to assist in the usage of the system. For example: instructions for the consumer to follow. In most cases, self-checkout systems provide this information as an audible representation—usually digitally reproduced speech. This both provides a quasi-human element to the system, and reduces the need for the consumer to read a display screen.
Self-checkout systems are often proximally located within a common self-checkout zone. As such, consumers are susceptible to confusion as a result of hearing information provided by a system other than the one they are using. It will be appreciated that the inevitable jumble of conflicting noises in self-checkout zones cause confusion and arguably detracts from a consumer's retail shopping experience.